Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1047665
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 NOVEMBER 2018 NEWS PRELIMINARY MARKET CONSULTATION Identity Malta Agency would like to notify the general public that it is receiving offers for the leasing of office premises. The said premises must be either readily available to move in or in the final stages of comple�on. Submissions for the Preliminary Market Consultation will be received through the ePPS system on www.etenders.gov.mt and the deadline for submissions is Wednesday 7 th November 2018 at 09:30AM. The document containing all necessary informa�on can be downloaded for free from www.etenders.gov.mt and any clarifications or addenda to the said document will be uploaded and made available on the same website within the stipulated period. Adv. No. IMA-2018/PMC004: Preliminary Market Consultation for Rental of Office Premises for the Identity Malta Agency Identity Malta Agency, Onda Building Triq Aldo Moro Marsa MRS 9065, Malta Late submissions will not be considered. Big draws and big cash An esports arena, and below gamer Rachel Thake raking in actual donations while playing on Twitch DAVID HUDSON MALTA is ready to emulate the success of other nations cashing in on the phenomenon of the esports industry: a world of interconnected gamers now turned superstars in their own right. It is no wonder that Budget 2019 has already allocated nothing less than €1.3 mil- lion – a budget that is almost 10 times the sum allocated for some pressing social issues – for its esports strategy. Silvio Schembri, junior minister for digital innovation, say this is just a 'preliminary' fund. "We want to attract not just com- petitive games, where we hope to host a tournament to test the waters in December, but Ready, set… play. Why Malta is getting serious about esports Malta wants to become an esports destination. Hint: lots of kids, and some adults, staring at screen playing video games… Kurt Fenech, FIFA Gamer Simon Theuma, Quickfire CEO also videogame designers and become a destination for a holistic videogame experi- ence." Simon Theuma, the CEO of Malta's leading esports or- ganisation Quickfire, hosts an online community for cas- ual, competitive and offline events. "We hope this investment will mean more locals get- ting involved. It doesn't just have to be events – there are lots of areas for an esports professional or enterprise to succeed: content production, commentating, coaching, you name it." Indeed Quickfire will host Malta's biggest esports event yet on 28 December, where competing teams will play the first-person shooter Counter- Strike: Global Offensive, for a $150,000 prize pool – just an example of the kind of cash digital games are attracting. Some "world-renowned" ga- mers will be competing. "It's not just about comput- er games – esports includes console and mobile phone games. Players or teams com- pete in both small and big tournaments for big prizes, or just for fun. Tournament organisers, such as ourselves, host events that attract spon- sors using their audience. It's a whole ecosystem with a lot of different pieces, so even if you're not the best player at the moment, there are plenty of other ways to get into it if you're passionate about vide- ogames." Theuma says Malta is al- ready turning international heads by coming out in favour of esports, "something that for some reason, other coun- tries are reluctant to do." One of Malta's most popu- lar gamers is Rachel Thake, an unmistakable fixture on the online platform Twitch, where she streams her 'play- throughs' full-time and al- lows viewers to donate money while watching her play. Serious cash. She even found her soulmate through the on- line multiplayer game League of Legends. "I would not take part in competitive gaming, but I'm still very much excited about the investment," Thake says. "I love following and watch- ing everything that goes on both locally and abroad. I'm not sure if I see myself taking part in a competitive man- ner but it would not stop me from following as much as if I were." Thake says the investment could galvanise Maltese gam- ers into actually making a career out of their talent. "There are a lot of people who still feel like videogames are a waste of time… it's the nega- tive side of gaming which gets most media coverage. Having this investment will open the eyes of many people, includ- ing parents with kids who wish to broaden their esports knowledge and take this to the next level." Another well-known Mal- tese gamer, Kurt Fenech, re- cently won $20,000 after plac- ing third at the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 Grand Finals in London back in August, and just this has raked in a total of $37,500 from competitive gaming. His recent comments on FI- FA 2019's quality have earned him a controversial blackout from the EA Sports online platform. Again, serious play- ers, serious money, serious sanctions… Fenech's enthusiasm has not been dampened for the future of esports. "I'm extremely pleased to hear that Malta is ready to take esports seri- ously. ''Esports is the present and also the future, so with the right support, I have no doubt that the local esports scene can begin to flourish and as a result see more and more players competing with the world's best on the biggest stages." dhudson@mediatoday.com.mt